This invention relates to the field of games in general, and especially to a method and apparatus for playing a word game and a device and packaging system for use with a folding gameboard for the game.
Various word games are known in the prior art which use playing pieces bearing letters of the alphabet to fill in the interconnected words of a predetermined word-building structure, as in cross-word puzzles. These games have served as a basis for a variety of competitive word games in which two or more people take turns at creating an interconnected word structure with randomly chosen letters, as in "Scrabble".TM..
One of the disadvantages to prior art word games is that they are not conducive to fast paced competition between the players, or competitors. In Scrabble.TM., for instance, game pace is restricted because each player takes an active role only when he takes his turn at word building; the remaining time he is essentially inactive. Furthermore, word development is restricted because words may only be arranged side by side if their neighboring letters form completed words, either in the horizontal or vertical directions. Also, competition is very limited in this game, because it is not possible to make aggressive moves against an opponent.
Other word games have been devised which allow competitors to work simultaneously in order to promote fast paced word formation. However these games generally have a limited word-building capability, thus sacrificing some of the game's potential educational qualities in favor of maintaining player interest. One example of this type of game is Boggle.TM., in which letters arranged at random on a four by four square matrix format are analyzed simultaneously by the competitors in a limited time period to determine what words have been formed in various directions of the matrix. While this timed competition may add a level of excitement not found in other prior art word games, it prevents the competitors from developing words which exceed four letters in length.
Furthermore, none of the above-mentioned games incorporate a high degree of offensive or aggressive strategy, because the game structure requires continuous tallying of scores and does not provide for reduction of a competitor's score based on his opponent's subsequent offensive maneuvers.
Another factor inhibiting the use of counter-opponent strategy in prior word games has been the awkwardness of competitors having to switch positions at a game board to analyze a portion of the board on which an opponent is playing. While devices permitting rotation of a game board have been used in the field of games such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,122 (Scharp), such devices have tended to be large and bulky and could not readily be accommodated by conventional, compact game packaging in which the game board is folded to one-half or one-quarter of its full size for storage in a game box. A small device capable of providing rotation and support for a relatively large folding game board, and which could be stored in a compact game box could prove of substantial benefit in board games.
The folding game board which is commonly used in the art to permit a compact packaging system has also been a frequent source of frustration to game players. The instability of folding game boards when they are not resting on a large, flat supporting surface makes it virtually impossible to use such a board on a small or non-uniform surface or to move it from one location to another during play without disturbing the playing pieces. For example, a player might wish to keep such a board on his lap while riding in a bus or train.